Gordon Hamilton
Personal information
Full name Gordon Ross Hamilton
Date of birth (1920-07-13)13 July 1920
Place of birth East Prahran, Victoria
Date of death 23 February 1941(1941-02-23) (aged 20)
Place of death Chelsea, Victoria
Original team(s) Myer's
Height 173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight 71 kg (157 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1940 South Melbourne 2 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1940.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Gordon Ross Hamilton (13 July 1920 – 23 February 1941) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1][2] He was the first South Melbourne player to die on active service in World War II.[3][4]

Career

Football

Hamilton was born in East Prahran on 13 July 1920, to Gordon and Lily Hamilton.[5][6] He arrived at South Melbourne from Myer's in 1940 as a centre player.[7] His first opportunity to play league football came in round 15, when Hamilton played for South Melbourne in a six-point loss to Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval.[8] A week later, Hamilton played his second senior game with South Melbourne, this time in a four-point win over Geelong.[9] Hamilton, described as a "promising young player", was 19th man in both games.[10]

Military

On 30 December 1940 Hamilton enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy, and he was sent to HMAS Cerberus, near Crib Point on the Mornington Peninsula.[5]

Soon after, on 23 February 1941, Hamilton drowned off a Chelsea beach, in an attempt to save the life of a young girl who had got into difficulties in the choppy seas.[11] His companions were able to bring the girl to shore and revive her, but Hamilton didn't make it back.[12] His body was found 300 yards away on a sandbank.[13][14]

On Monday 24 February the flag over the South Melbourne Cricket Club pavilion was flown at half mast as a tribute to Hamilton, and Mr. Pat Farnan and Mr. Fred J. Ferry of the South Melbourne Football Club attended his funeral.[15] Hamilton was buried at Fawkner Cemetery on Tuesday, 25 February 1941.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
  2. ↑ Main, Jim (2009). In The Blood: South Melbourne – Sydney Swans Football Club. Seaford, Victoria: Bas Publishing. ISBN 9781921496011.
  3. ↑ "Players Killed on Active Service – AFL Records on Service from Boer War / WW1 / WW2 – AFL.com.au". Australian Football League. Retrieved 24 September 2014.: note that this citation refers to an incomplete and out-of-date version of the Wikipedia article List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service.
  4. ↑ "Roll of Honour – Gordon Ross Hamilton". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  5. 1 2 "World War Two Nominal Roll". Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Family Notices". The Argus. Melbourne. 25 February 1941. p. 4. Retrieved 24 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "More League Permits". The Argus. Melbourne. 27 April 1940. p. 11. Retrieved 24 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "AFL Tables – Hawthorn v South Melbourne – Sat, 10-Aug-1940 2:45 PM – Match Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "AFL Tables – South Melbourne v Geelong – Sat, 17-Aug-1940 2:45 PM – Match Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "New Football President". The Argus. Melbourne. 26 February 1941. p. 14. Retrieved 24 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "Sailor Drowned Saving Girl". The Argus. Melbourne. 24 February 1941. p. 5. Retrieved 24 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "Sailor Loses Life Attempting to Rescue Girl". The Advocate. Burnie, Tasmania. 24 February 1941. p. 5. Retrieved 24 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "Naval Man Drowned In Rescuing Girl". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 February 1941. p. 9. Retrieved 24 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "Sailor Drowned at Chelsea in Rescue Effort", The Age, (Monday, 24 February 1941), p.6.
  15. ↑ "Gallant Sailor Was South Footballer: Gordon Hamilton Gave Life to Save Drowning Girl", (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 1 March 1941), p.1.
  16. ↑ "Funeral Notices: Hamilton", The Age, (Tuesday, 25 February 1941), p.1.
  17. ↑ Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Hamilton Gordon Ross.
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